</s>FBI BIRMGHAM FBI NEWARK 10115M URGENT 4-8-68 RCM TO DIRECTOR . LOSANGELES, MEMPHIS AND BIRMINGHAM FROM NEWARK (444-854) MURKIN RE: SUSPECT EDWARD PHILIP MARLOW. FATHER: BROTHER, AND MOTHER IN LAW INTERVIEWED THIS DATE AND NO INFORMATION DEVELOPED AS TO WHEREABOUTS OF MARLOWS. FATHER AND BROTHER HAD NOT SEEN OR HEARD FROM HIM SINCE HE LEFT TO GO TO CALIFORNIA SEVEN YEARS AGO. FAMILY HAS NOT HEARD FROM MARLOM SINCT THAT TIME AND HAVE NO PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIM. MARLOU'S MOTHER ILNAW THAT LAST CONTACT WITH HER DAUGHTER, HELEN MARLON WIFE OF EDWARD PHPILIP WARLOW WHEN WIFE WAS THEN RESIDING IN RIVERSIDE, CALIF. WITH HIM IN A RESIDENCE ON WALLINGHAM DRIVE OR STREET. MARLU'S HAVE FOUR CHILDREN RANGING IN AGE FROM TEN TO TWO YEARS WHO LIVE WITH THEM. ALL LETTERS SUBSEQUENT TO JULY. NINETEEN SIXTY SEVEN SENT TO THE MARLONS FROM MRS. MURPHY HAVE BEEN RETURNED. MARROW PURCHASED A NEW AUTOMOBILLE IN RIVERISES, CALIFA. APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS AGO. CREDIT RECORDS, CAMDEN, NJ DISCLOSED EDWARD MARLOP EMPLOYED PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS CO ., MOORESTOWN, NJ, IN NINTEENTEEN SIXY THREE. CHECK OF. END PAGE ONE. 44-1740-94 SEARCHED, INDEXED SERALIZED, FILED FBI-1968 Sulguit. FBI-BIRMINGHAM 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents consist of FBI telegrams, memos, and investigative notes from April 1968, focusing on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4, 1968) and related investigations in Alabama and Memphis. The FBI examines potential suspects, forensic evidence such as laundry tags, and witness statements to trace connections to the crime. Key individuals include William Askey, Pervis Askey, Theral Burns Lyman, William Building, and Thomas F. Sminkkey. Investigative methods involve cross-referencing phone records, business transactions, university records, and thermal seal laundry marks. The FBI collaborates with local law enforcement and agencies in Alabama, Memphis, and other states to gather data. While no conclusive link to the killer is established, the documents highlight the era’s civil rights tensions and the FBI’s role in tracking anti-civil rights activity.  

Key People  
- **William Askey** (Alexander City, Alabama): Intoxicated individual who made phone calls to Memphis police, claiming to have informed a "U.S. Marshall" of King’s death.  
- **Pervis Askey**: Brother of William Askey; both flagged for statements related to the assassination.  
- **Theral Burns Lyman** (Utah): Fugitive with anti-King rhetoric and possession of rifles, under FBI scrutiny.  
- **William Building** (Memphis, Tennessee): Registered at Avon Motel in Birmingham with a Chevrolet license plate; matches an FBI sketch.  
- **Thomas F. Sminkkey**: University of Alabama student; records checked for connections to the case.  

Key Locations  
- **Alexander City, Alabama**: Home to William and Pervis Askey.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of King’s assassination; key location for suspect tracking.  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Linked to William Building’s registration.  
- **Demopolis, Alabama**: Location of a laundry tag ("2-6") tied to a customer at Lilly White Cleaners.  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968**: Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis.  
- **Phone calls from Askey and others** to Memphis police, scrutinized for potential involvement.  
- **Analysis of laundry tags** ("2-6," "028-6") and thermal seal marks at businesses like Rexall-affiliated drugstores.  
- **Cross-referencing university records** (University of Alabama) to link suspects like Sminkkey.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI**: Conducted multi-agency investigations, collaborating with local police in Birmingham, Memphis, Tuscaloosa, and other states.  
- **Alabama Department of Scholarship**: Involved in data coordination for the investigation.  
- **Local law enforcement agencies** (e.g., Tuscaloosa PD): Provided records for FBI analysis.  

Key Details  
- **Laundry tags** were used as forensic evidence to track suspects or locations, with codes like "2-6" and "028-6."  
- **Thermal seal marks** from Rexall-affiliated businesses were investigated for potential tracking of individuals.  
- **Inconsistent transcriptions** (e.g., "028-6" vs. "028-5") and fragmented leads complicated the investigation.  
- **Suspects like Lyman and Building** were flagged for anti-civil rights rhetoric or physical descriptions matching FBI sketches.  
- The case remains unsolved, with no direct evidence linking suspects to the assassination at the time of these documents.

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_03-02-part_1_of_5.pdf

Document Summary

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